Coffee Gives You Wings
by paynesgrey
Summary: Peter wants West's power, so he and Claire meet him for coffee. Missing Scene story for "Let it Bleed" in season 4. Platonic Peter x Claire and past West x Claire. ONE-SHOT.


AN: Written for the heroes-faves Missing Scenes ficathon on Livejournal. Takes place during "Let it Bleed" in Season 4. This one-shot is complete and will not be continued.

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><p><span>Coffee Gives You Wings<span>

It had been an odd request, but for Peter, Claire would do just about anything, especially after tonight's events when Peter ran into danger and got shot.

She hated to admit it but Angela was right. Peter did need help, and he needed _her_ more than anyone else. Grieving Nathan would be a slow process for her uncle, and if getting West's powers for a therapeutic night flight helped him, she'd jump at the chance.

Of course, Claire hadn't seen West in awhile, and although they had patched things up through email and Facebook, seeing him in person wasn't the same. She just hoped it went well without any awkwardness, and honestly, she kind of liked the idea of seeing him again. She'd been putting it off, especially after he'd asked her several times via Facebook that they should meet up when they were both in the area.

She had been just as curious to see him as he did her, but she knew that what they had together was well in the past and they could never go back to that. She didn't want that anyway, and she only hoped that he didn't either.

Though, she admitted it couldn't hurt to have him as a friend if they could bridge their differences and get over what had broken them up in the first place.

She got off the phone with West, who was more than happy to meet them at a Starbucks in downtown Manhattan. Claire turned toward her uncle with a smile as they sat on the rooftop, looking over the scenery of the city. She could tell that Peter was itching to just fly off that roof, feel the wind on his face and reach out for his brother's spirit through the chilled air.

"He said he'll meet us in a half hour at Starbucks. Ready to call a cab?" Claire asked, and Peter shook his head.

"I can call a car around," he said, already heading off the roof. Claire followed him down the stairs through the suite. The house was mostly empty beyond a few stragglers, and Peter fell behind Claire, directing her out of the house with a hand on the small of her back. He talked to one of his mother's remaining staffers and ordered the car.

Claire and Peter jumped quickly into the limo as it came around, and she shot him a sly look as they got comfortable.

"Really? We're taking a limo to Starbucks?" she asked him, and he laughed. "You're taking this channeling Nathan's memory really well."

"I just thought after this bad day there could be something positive about it," Peter said, and she felt a heavy pause between them and caught Peter's small smile. "So, it wasn't weird calling your old boyfriend?"

"Well, not as weird if I handn't called him about a month ago and then a couple times after that. Facebook is easier than the phone though, and he'd been trying to meet with me for awhile. I've just been...too busy. I think he gets that," Claire said. "He was pretty surprised about tonight."

"Claire, I really appreciate you doing this," Peter said, sounding serious. She waved her hand and rolled her eyes.

"Don't be. At least something good can come out of this old relationship," she joked, laughing a little. "And, I really could use a caramel latte after playing crime fighter with my uncle _and_ burying my father, all in one day."

Peter pursed his lips, as if he was ashamed to be so casually reminded.

"Oh, it's fine Peter. Stop pouting," she said lightly. She laid a hand on his wrist. "Pretty soon, you're going to fly again."

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><p>The limo was an eyesore as it pulled up to the Starbucks and let Peter and Claire out. Peter told the driver to come back in a half hour, and they watched as the car took off. Onlookers went by with hardly a glance at the limo, and Claire idly thought that she could never get used to the blase attitudes of the people in New York toward lavish things.<p>

Peter held the door for her as they went inside, and West waved them down at a corner table. Peter whispered something to Claire, and he branched off toward the front to order as Claire met up with West.

"Hey, stranger," he said, and Claire immediately drew West in for a hug.

"Hey," she said. "Look, thanks so much for doing this."

"I'm... sorry to hear about your dad. I mean, your bio-dad," he said with a smile, mimicking her term for Nathan. She remembered telling West about Nathan, during and out of their relationship.

"Thanks," she said, and she turned back to Peter, who was still in line behind one woman to order coffee. "He's taking it pretty hard, so I really appreciate this."

"I'm really not doing anything," West said, and Claire took a seat next to him in the booth. "He's just going to shake my hand to copy my power and that's it, right?"

"Well," Claire said, her voice trailing off. "And, he's going to buy you a coffee."

Claire looked at the cup in front of him. "But you already ordered."

"I can always use another one," he said.

Claire arched a single eyebrow. "Should you really drink so much caffeine and fly around New York like that?"

"Coffee's safer than alcohol," West laughed. "Trust me, I learned my lesson the hard way on that."

Before Claire could return with a quip, Peter came back with three lattes, and he set one in front of West and Claire before sipping his own. When Peter sat down, West held out his hand and the two men politely greeted each other. As their hands shook, Peter tapped into West's power and immediately thanked him.

"Claire," West said, turning to her as Peter watched silently. As he sipped on his coffee, Claire could feel her uncle observing them. "If you ever want to hang out again..." He started, but Claire looked at the coffee in her hands and let out a small sigh. She smiled at him, but it felt so forced.

"Yeah, I mean...we could try," Claire said, trying to be polite. "It's just that..."

"You're busy saving the world. I get it," West said, but she could tell the humor in his tone was covering an old regret.

Claire turned to Peter as his eyes brightened. "As a matter of fact...I did something like that today. And while I can't major in that at college, I seemed to be picking it up as a hobby."

"Claire and I saved a lot of people today," Peter chimed in, and West met his dark eyes. "Not only that, she's helping me deal with my brother's death. She's the only one who can." He said, his eyes locking with hers. Claire smiled in turn, unintentionally zoning West out of their minds. "She's a hero." Peter said, but in Claire's mind, she heard it as "She's _my_ hero."

She heard West chuckle slightly. "You haven't changed at all."

Claire turned to him. "I have, but maybe it isn't that noticeable."

Sipping on what sounded like the last swig, West turned to her and braved the question Claire knew was coming. "Do you still want to expose special people to the world, Claire?"

"If you mean, do you think they should know about us so we can stop hiding then..." She paused, and she felt the weight of both Peter and West staring at her. "I think that it's complicated, and I still want to feel normal, to not have to hide. But it's not going to be that easy."

West rose from his spot, shifting out of the booth and standing over them as he prepared to leave. He zipped up his coat and glanced at them both. "Peter, it was nice meeting you." Peter nodded, and shook his hand again, this time out of cordiality. West turned to Claire with a calm smile and jammed his hands in his pockets. "See you around, Lizard girl," he said with a wink. Claire grinned but rolled her eyes at him. She hadn't heard that phrase in so long.

"Bye, West," Claire said. "And thanks again!" she called to him as he walked away. He turned around and nodded his head. As he moved out of the coffee place and into the streets, Claire imagined him ducking into a vacant alley and rising up in to the skies.

"That was...interesting," Peter said. "He still likes you."

Claire snorted. "Yeah," she said. "It's kind of embarrassing. "

Peter rose from their booth and Claire followed him. They spotted the limo sitting out in front and headed toward it.

"You've no reason to be embarrassed," he said, as the driver opened the door for them and led them inside. Comfortably, Claire sank into the seat next to him. "I bet you're really easy to like."

"Ha ha," Claire said, resting her head on his shoulder. "You should have sent the driver off. You could have flew us home."

"I still can," Peter said, and she felt him lean over her and open the door. She stepped out again as Peter talked to the driver. They returned to the corner as the limo drove away. Peter took Claire's hand and they began walking. When they found an undisclosed place without onlookers Peter turned to her and grinned. "Want me to take you back to your dorm before I head home?"

Claire nodded and wrapped her arms around his neck, and for a moment, as she looked into Peter's face, she thought of Nathan.

She felt Peter lift them from the ground as he spoke against her ear. "Let's go."

END


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